Dali Set to be Refloated Today & Moved to Baltimore Terminal

The refloat and transit of the stranded containership Dali from its current location to a terminal in Baltimore are scheduled for Monday morning.

Optimal conditions indicate that the transit of the 9,962 TEU ship will begin at high tide, which is predicted to occur at 5:24 am. The entire refloating process, including deballasting, started yesterday.

Once the ship is freed from its current position, up to five tugboats will escort the Dali over the 4 km distance to the local marine terminal.

The ship has been stuck on the riverbed since it lost power and collided with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge on March 26, an accident that resulted in the deaths of six road maintenance workers, destroyed the bridge, and halted most port activities for weeks. 

Authorities aim to reopen the main shipping channel to commercial traffic by the end of this month.

The crew onboard the Dali have not been able to leave the ship in the nearly two months since the accident, even being forced to stay onboard while explosives were used last week to remove part of the bridge lodged on the bow of the ship.

On Friday, the vessel’s manager, Synergy Marine Group, provided an update on the state of the crew, stating that all crew members were in good health and “holding up well.”

The manager detailed the measures taken to assist those stuck onboard. For instance, when all the crew’s phones were confiscated by the FBI on April 15, replacements were promptly provided. 

Other measures include close monitoring of their physical and mental welfare, 24/7 counseling availability, regular delivery of pre-prepared Indian food to give the cook a break, and the recent addition of two extra deck crew to share the increased workload due to the number of visitors onboard and to allow more downtime.

“We hope that, soon after the Dali is secure at a berth, the authorities will allow [the crew] to disembark so we can arrange to get them home,” Synergy stated in a release.